Settle's second team won the Westmorland League Division Two title by claiming the vital 15 points at Ingleton.

It was their first year in the competition and they have kept the lead for most of the season. Coniston 1st XI ran them close all summer, falling short by just two points, but both sides are promoted to Division One in 2025.

In this crunch match, Ingleton 1st XI set the challenge with a respectable 152-8, with opener Mark Hughes dominating proceedings with 70 runs. Gus Ogden and Will Smith claimed two victims apiece, but all bowlers contributed with wickets or economy.

The teams are friends and neighbours, but the hosts were not going to do Settle any favours in the reply as Mark Dobson took 2-25 from 12 overs.

Solid batting down the order from Nick Cokell (21), Noah Smith (16) and Harvey Green (14) was capped by an epic half-ton from opener James Snowden. He batted throughout the innings before being out for 57 (eight fours and a six) with just three needed for the crucial win. Will Smith (22no) saw Settle home with ten balls to spare and five wickets in hand.

Stand-in skipper Cokell said it was a typical seconds performance with everyone contributing and great spirit from start to finish. With 27 players called upon this year, they represent the heart of the club. They know they will find life harder in WL One but are up for the challenge.

With winter sports intervening, Settle first team were down in regulars and lost their last match by a hefty 109 runs. Fulwood set a challenging 237-6 despite three wickets for Amar Ullah and a couple for Lewis Smith. Smith himself then made a battling 62 from 94 balls, but contributions from John Davidson (15) and Ullah and Will Davidson (11 each) could not prevent dismissal for 129 with ten overs unused.

Settle finished in tenth place in the NPL, enough to see them into Division One next year and a great achievement as first-time league members, but the forty-point gap between them and ninth-placed Garstang shows that a highly competitive season is on the horizon.

Settle bade a fond farewell to their much-loved professional and coach Ashen Silva, who has graced the Marshfield ground for six years. He has had an outstanding record with bat and ball and is highly respected by opposition clubs as well as home senior and junior players.